John Dewey III hit a pair of free throws with six seconds left to allow Sam Houston St to escape with a 71-69 victory over Southeastern Louisiana and grab a share of first place in the Southland Conference Saturday night.

The Bearkats, who have now won seven straight, are tied with New Orleans atop the conference standings, one game ahead of Stephen F. Austin and two games up on Lamar, Southeastern Louisiana and Incarnate Word.

Aurimas Majauskas scored 16 points and Dewey added another 15 to lead Sam Houston State (16-6, 7-2). The Bearkats shot 26 of 55 from the field (47.3 percent), including 7 of 21 from 3-point range.